One: Practical Strategies for Managing Food Allergies in China

1. Preparation Before Travel
2. Translation Allergy Cards: Create bilingual cards in Chinese and English that clearly list your allergens (e.g., "I am allergic to peanuts/Wǒ duì huāshēng guòmǐn") and specify "Please avoid adding these ingredients/Qǐng bìmiǎn tiānjiā zhèxiē chéngfèn." Carry them with you or store them on your phone.
3. Medication Preparation: Bring antihistamines (such as loratadine) and adrenaline auto-injectors (like EpiPen), ensuring that the packaging is intact to pass through customs.

4. Research Local Cuisine: Understand common ingredients used in Chinese dishes (such as soy sauce which may contain wheat, oyster sauce containing shellfish), and mark high-risk dishes in advance (such as Kung Pao Chicken containing peanuts, seafood porridge containing shrimp and crab).

5. Restaurant Communication Techniques

6. Choose Transparent Restaurants: Prioritize chain restaurants (such as Haidilao, Xibei Yumiancun) or international hotels where staff are usually trained in allergy management.
7. Clear Communication Process:
   • Emphasize the severity of the allergy: "This could be life-threatening/Zhè huì wēijí shēngmìng".
   • Ask about cooking methods: "Does this dish share cooking utensils with others?/Zhè dào cài shìfǒu hé qítā cài gòngyòng guōjù?"

8. Avoid High-Risk Dishes: Be cautious with hotpot (soup base may contain peanut butter), dim sum (complex fillings), and street food (high risk of cross-contamination).

9. Supermarkets and Packaged Foods

10. Identify Label Keywords: Chinese regulations require labeling of 8 major allergens (including gluten, crustaceans, etc.), watch for phrases like "contains/Hányǒu" or "may contain/Kěnéng hányǒu".

11. Recommended Safe Brands: Imported supermarkets (such as CityShop, Ole’) offer pre-packaged foods with clearer allergy labels.

12. Emergency Handling

13. Emergency Number: Call 120 for an ambulance while contacting the hotel front desk for translation assistance.
14. Hospital Choice: Prefer international hospitals (such as Beijing United Family Hospital, Shanghai Ruijin Hospital) whose emergency departments can handle allergic reactions.

Two: Allergen Bilingual Reference and Practical Sentences

1. Common Allergen Vocabulary List
   | English | Chinese | Pinyin |
   |-----------|----------------|-------------|
   | Peanut | 花生 | Huāshēng |
   | Shellfish | 海鲜/甲壳类 | Hǎixiān/Jiǎké lèi |
   | Gluten | 麸质（小麦） | Fūzhì (Xiǎomài) |
   | Soy | 大豆 | Dàdòu |
   | Egg | 鸡蛋 | Jīdàn |
   | Milk | 牛奶 | Niúnǎi |
   | Tree nuts | 坚果（如杏仁、腰果） | Jiānguǒ (Rú xìngrén, yāoguǒ) |

2. Key Communication Sentences

3. Declare Allergy:
   "I am severely allergic to [allergen], please ensure the food contains no [allergen]./Wǒ duì [guòmǐn yuán] yánzhòng guòmǐn, qǐng quèbǎo shíwù bù hán rènhé [guòmǐn yuán]."
4. Confirm Safety:
   "What are the ingredients and seasonings in this dish?/Zhè dào cài de yuánliào hé tiáoliào yǒu nǎxiē?"
   "Are the same knife or cutting board used during cooking?/Pēngrèn shí shìfǒu shǐyòng tóng yī bǎ dāo huò zhēnbǎn?"

Three: Additional Precautions

1. Use Technology Assistance:
2. WeChat/Alipay Scan Translation: Use the "Scan" function to translate menus in real time.

3. Download Allergy Alert Apps: Such as "Food Allergy Translate" which provides pre-stored phrases with voice playback functions.

4. Special Occasion Tips:

5. Temple Vegetarian Meals: Some vegetarian meals use soy products to mimic meat, confirm if they contain soy.

6. Ethnic Minority Cuisines: For example, Halal restaurants (no pork but may contain nuts), Dai cuisine (commonly uses peanut powder).

7. Cultural Differences Reminder:

8. Chinese people might think a small amount of allergen is harmless, so it’s necessary to repeatedly emphasize "Even a trace amount can trigger a reaction/Jíshǐ wēiliàng yě huì yǐnfā fǎnyìng."